Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 9591

Sayyiduna Dihyah al-Kalbi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me to Caesar. I came to him and gave him the letter. With him was a nephew of his, a man of red complexion, blue eyes and straight hair. When he read the letter, in it was written: "This is from Sayyiduna Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), to Heraclius, the man in charge of Rome." The narrator says: Then his nephew, who had red complexion, blue eyes and straight hair, said: "Do not read it." Caesar asked him: "Why?" He replied: "This man has mentioned himself first, and he has written you as the man in charge of Rome; he has not written the king of Rome." Caesar said to him: "You shall certainly read it." When he had read the letter, those people got up and left him. Caesar called me to him, and then sent a message to a bishop who held a prominent position in their affairs. Caesar told him about this and had him read the letter. That bishop said: "This is the one for whom we were waiting and about whom Sayyiduna Isa (peace be upon him) gave us glad tidings." Caesar asked him: "What do you command me?" The bishop said to him: "As far as I am concerned, I will affirm him and I will follow him." Caesar said to him: "If I do so, my kingdom will depart." The narrator says: Then we came out from him. Then Caesar sent a message calling Abu Sufyan, who was staying there in those days, and said: "Tell me about this person who has appeared in your land; who is he?" Abu Sufyan replied: "He is a young man." He asked: "What is his lineage among you?" Abu Sufyan replied: "He holds such a position among us that no one has superiority over him." Caesar said: "This is a sign of prophethood." He said: "How is his truthfulness?" Abu Sufyan said: "He has never told a lie." Caesar said: "This is a sign of prophethood." Caesar asked: "What do you say about this: whoever of your companions has gone out to him, has he come back to you?" Abu Sufyan replied: "No." Caesar said: "This is a sign of prophethood." Then Caesar asked: "What is your view about this: if any of his companions has come out to you, do they return to him?" Abu Sufyan replied: "Yes." Caesar said: "This is a sign of prophethood." Caesar asked: "Has it ever happened that when he and his companions took part in battle, they were defeated?" Abu Sufyan replied: "People have fought him; sometimes he routed the people and sometimes the people routed him." Caesar replied: "This is a sign of prophethood." The narrator says: Then Caesar called me and said: "Convey to your master that I have come to know that he is a Prophet, but I will not give up my kingdom." The narrator states: As for that bishop, the people used to gather to him every Sunday; he would come out to them, talk with them and give them admonition and advice. When Sunday came, he did not come out to them, and he stayed shut in until the next Sunday came. I used to go in to him; he would talk with me and ask me questions. When the next Sunday came and the people were waiting for him to come out to them, he did not go out to them and told them that he was ill. When this happened several times, those people sent him a message: "Either you come out to us, or we will come in to you and kill you, for ever since this man from Arabia came, we have felt that your state has changed." The bishop said (to me): "Take this letter and take it to your master; convey my greetings of peace to him and tell him that I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah; I believe in him, affirm him and follow him. The people are objecting to me; convey to him what you have seen." Then he went out to those people, and they killed him. Then Sayyiduna Dihyah al-Kalbi (may Allah be pleased with him) set out from there towards the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). At that time the envoys of the governor appointed by Chosroes over San'a' were present with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); the governor had sent these people to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Chosroes had written this letter to the governor of San'a', threatening him: "Deal on my behalf with this man who has appeared in your land; he has invited me to his religion, (saying) that either I accept it or pay the jizyah. (Do this,) otherwise I will kill you, and I will do this and that to you." So the governor of San'a' sent twenty-five men to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Sayyiduna Dihyah (may Allah be pleased with him) found those people with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) read the letter of their master, he left them as they were for fifteen nights. When fifteen nights had passed, those people came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw them, he called them and said: "Go back to your master (that is, to the governor of San'a') and tell him: Last night my Lord killed his lord." Those people went back and told the governor about this. The governor said: "Keep this night in mind." Then he said: "Tell me, how did you find him?" They said: "We have never seen a king more at ease among the people than him. He walks among the people without fear of anything, and he is not guarded; the people do not raise their voices in front of him." Sayyiduna Dihyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Then the news came that Chosroes had been killed that very night.
Al-Bazzar recorded it from Ibrahim bin Isma'il bin Yahya bin Salamah from his father, and both of them are da'if (weak).